Nonfiction Monday

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My selection is "Big George: how a shy boy became PresidentWashington" by Anne Rockwell with illustrations by Matt Phelan.@ http://janetsquires.blogspot.com.

Look at this cover. This isn't the familiar Washington portrait by Stuart. This vision of Washington conveys a far more dynamic sense of our first president. There's an obvious question here. How did the shy boy referenced in the subtitle become this forceful figure as an adult?

Rockwell provides the answer by showing a Washington who was more complex than the popular anecdotes about cherry trees and honesty convey. As a shy boy, Washington was far more comfortable with wild animals and the dangers of the woods than with his peers. Conversations were something to be avoided. He had a temper that he had to learn to control. His greatest fear was failure. He was a man beset with doubt who reluctantly accepted the duty of leading the army. Rockwell gives young readers an honest, accessible biography by portraying a man with familiar strengths and weaknesses.